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PM had severe arthritis: Dr Ranawat

Savera R Someshwar

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is conscious and well after the operation to replace his left knee on Tuesday morning.

Briefing the media at noon at the Sahyadri guesthouse, Home Minister L K Advani and Dr Chittaranjan S Ranawat deemed the operation a success.

Asked when the prime minister could resume work, Dr Ranawat said it depended on Vajpayee's ability to walk around. ''Normally after five to 15 days, he should recover to do normal work.'' However, he warned that the time frame varied from patient to patient and their age.

Two other orthopaedic surgeons and one assistant surgeon were involved in the procedure, though Dr Ranawat would not identify the other three doctors.

Dr Ranawat revealed that the prime minister had severe arthritis on his left knee, having lost the cartilage on both bones. The bare bone was exposed, he said.

The prime minister also has moderate arthritis on his right knee, but there are no plans to operate on it at present, the surgeon added. Even though a third of the 3,000 operations he has conducted so far have involved the replacement of both knees, he said the patient's condition is taken into account before such a decision is taken.

President K R Narayanan called National Security Adviser and the PM's personal secretary Brajesh Mishra at noon to inquire about the operation, Advani said, adding that the Rashtrapati was told the prime minister has made a full recovery from the operation.

Vajpayee will undergo light physiotherapy on Tuesday itself. His calves will be massaged lightly -- intermittent compression of the calves in medical parlance -- so as to make sure there is proper circulation of blood to the leg.

Dr Ranawat expects the prime minister to stand up on Wednesday. "Day after tomorrow, we will make him walk a few steps and more of the same will be continued the next day,'' he said, adding, "after five to 15 days, he will be able to walk reasonably well to be out of the hospital."

Every day, his walking regimen will be increased gradually. "But that would depend on the patient's vigour and his ability to withstand pain," he added. However, Vajpayee will be unable to eat solid foods for the next couple of days.

"He is not receiving any sedatives at this time. We have controlled the pain through regional blocks (a method of controlling pain in the region involved in the surgery and restricting it from spreading),'' Dr Ranawat, who will supervise the post-operative care even after he returns to New York on Saturday, said.

Even though Dr Ranawat would not be drawn into whether the prime minister should use a cane to walk all the time, he said he would recommend such a measure sometimes as it divides the body weight by 3 instead of 2.

Asked if he spoke to Vajpayee during the operation, Dr Ranawat wryly remarked that surgeons do not speak to patients during surgery, anaesthetists do.

Advani said he had met the prime minister on Monday night and found him in "good spirits."

"We have all heard of Dr Ranawat and his skill," the home minister said, "and our confidence was not belied."

The PM's surgery: The full coverage

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